Flipped
by Reizbar-Ookami
Summary: ONESHOT: Seto decides to test the waters of a potential business deal and takes Joey with him out to dinner. To his surprise, Joey takes to it like a fish to water and makes the dining experience quite... interesting.


Author's Note: I've seen other stories where Seto is the one who takes charge at restaurants and I wanted to try something different. **:3**

* * *

Flipped

"You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Joey looked in the mirror to fix his tie, frowning. "Is that your way of sayin' 'don't come with me?'"

Seto scowled and reached around the blond to fix his tie for him. "It's my way of saying that this business dinner could go poorly and you don't even like French food."

"I like French food just fine," the blond replied shortly.

"Could have knocked me over with a feather." The older boy jerked him around so they were facing each other and examined him carefully. After a moment, he slid his fingers into the blond's bangs and pushed them up out of his eyes. "And of course you decide last minute that you don't want a haircut. I had the reservation at the salon and everything."

Joey rolled his eyes and lifted his hands to grab his hair and gather it out of his face. He took the rubber band the brunet offered him and tied his hair back with a snap. "Ow. Okay, _now_ how do I look?"

Seto tilted his head, blinking slowly. He looked rather… nice like this, in a suit, with his hair pulled back and already beginning to fall from the tie again. He watched the blond shift awkwardly under his gaze. "…You're missing something."

"Huh—whaaaat?!"

"This." He caught the blond's chin between his fingers and leaned down to kiss him lightly, then turned and began walking away with longer strides than usual. "We're going to be late."

Joey blushed a little, then chuckled to himself and began hurrying after him. "You're so fuckin' cute."

"Please don't use that word when describing me."

"Fine. You're adorable."

Seto rolled his eyes and patted his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and cell phone, waiting for one of the maids to scurry and open the door. He would have done it himself, except apparently there was some unwritten rule that maids or butlers had to do it. "You may call me cute."

Joey grabbed his hand and smiled up at him, swinging their hands playfully. "So. You've never invited me on your business dinners before. Ya always took one of your secretaries. Why the sudden change?"

"We recently had that press conference announcing that we were dating. My stocks dropped. This man wants to do business with me, but quite frankly, I don't need him, and I've recently learned he's said quite a few homophobic things to the public—not about us, just in general. I just want to see if he'll do business with me when he sees in person that I'm dating another man."

Joey frowned in concern even as he slid into the limo. "I thought ya said the way your stocks dropped that it was nothin' t' worry about."

Seto slid in after him and sighed. "It's not. And you know what? They'll go back up when we release the sequel to Amoria Quest. I'm not worried." He paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "…It's more curiosity than any actual real need. We'll see what he says when he realizes he wants to do business with a faggot."

The blond looked up at him in concern, but he knew that Seto was accustomed to being called rude and cruel names. He approached the subject with a frank coolness that boggled his mind sometimes. He slid closer to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "I love ya."

The older boy paused, blinking slowly, then smiled a little and leaned down to nip his ear. "I love you too. The restaurant has an excellent seafood dish. Would you like that?"

Joey smiled and looked up at him. "Are ya sayin' you're gonna order for me?"

"…I don't want this man to belittle you because you can't speak French at a French restaurant."

"Seto, he can't make me feel bad if I don't let 'im. And I won't let 'im." The blond gave his hand a squeeze when the older boy only shot him a concerned look. "I'll be fine."

Seto sighed and tilted his head, then glanced out the window as the limo slowed to a stop. "If you say so."

"I do say so and you should really trust me more," Joey teased, smiling, as he slid out of the limo after him. He nodded at the doorman vaguely as he hummed. "Well, at least this night ain't a complete waste."

The brunet looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"…I get t' have dinner out with ya. Even if that guy's mean or rude, I'll be happy, 'cause it's been ages since we've gone out." Joey smiled at him sweetly.

Seto was already beginning to plan a date sometime in the next week when the blond walked past him right to the host's podium. "Erm—"

The blond continued to smile. "Hey, Jiro."

The host blinked at him in surprise, then smiled. "Joey!" He glanced at Seto, coughed, then schooled his expression back into a pleasant, generic smile. "Mr. Wheeler. It's been quite some time."

Joey blushed a little as he sensed Seto staring at him. "Uh. Well. I've been busy."

"A table for two? Do you have a reservation?"

"Uh—No, Seto's invited me for dinner with a potential client. I'm _his_ guest tonight."

Jiro paused. "…I see." He turned and waved for a waitress to come over. "Shirley, is there a table waiting for Kaiba?"

"Yes, sir." Her eyes brightened when they landed on Joey, but when she saw his suit and the brunet accompanying him, she carefully kept her excitement in check. "Mr. Wheeler, it's good to see you again."

Joey smiled awkwardly. "Yes. It's good to see you too. Our table?"

"Right this way, sirs."

Seto fell into step beside the blond and frowned. "Your accent."

"Ah? Yeah, what about it?"

"…I want it back."

Joey blushed again, unable to help his lips curving into a smile. He'd never really believed that Seto liked his accent until he'd learned to talk without it. The first time he'd spoken to Seto without it, the brunet had become visibly distressed. Knowing that he found that part of him attractive enough that he didn't care what other people thought of him had been a huge ego boost.

"Seto, I don't want this guy to think I'm trashy. What'll he think of you then?"

"I don't care. If it mattered, I would have told you. Accent. Now," Seto ordered firmly. He paused, then added, "And it will never matter."

Joey rolled his eyes, blush still in place as they approached the table where a man and his wife and son sat. "Ugh, fine."

The man and his son stood and shook Seto's hand. The son also reached out for Joey's hand. His father did not.

Seto noted this with distaste. Luckily, Joey only smiled and offered his hand to the man's wife, leaning down to kiss the back of her hand. She giggled and blushed, smiling. It was clear that she hadn't been treated like that in a long time. He'd use it to his advantage if necessary.

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm glad you could meet with us on such short notice," the man stated smoothly.

"It was _quite_ short, Mr. Kurodami."

The man's smile turned chillier, if possible. "…Kurakami."

Seto smiled thinly. "My mistake. It's been a long day and I'd been preparing for a night in with my family when my secretary called me for this meeting."

Joey glanced back and forth between as he sensed the animosity between them grow but sat down, smiling vaguely at Shirley as she left them with menus. He didn't touch his. He was too busy watching all of the servers beginning to glance at him and smile and some even waved surreptitiously when the other diners were too busy to notice.

Seto looked at his menu, raising an eyebrow when he noticed that his lover wasn't also examining (or pretending to, at least) his own. "Do you know what you're getting?"

"The chef knows what I like," the blond replied.

"Oh?" Kurakami's insincere smile was turned on him. "Perhaps you could suggest some dishes for my family and I then?"

Joey smiled sweetly. "Mr. Kurakami, I would never presume to know all of your likes and dislikes. Not to mention any allergies you may have. No, it's best that you examine the dishes and make your own decisions."

Mrs. Kurakami smiled but covered her mouth as if coughing. Mr. Kurakami's son hurriedly hid his face behind his menu. Seto cleared his throat when all he really wanted to do was laugh. Mr. Kurakami's face turned a puce color in anger.

Joey frowned. "Are you alright? I could get one of the wait staff to turn down the heat if you're uncomfortable."

Mr. Kurakami muttered something but looked at his menu.

Seto leaned his cheek on his hand and smiled at the blond. "You know all of those things about me. Do you want to order for me then?"

"Are you saying that because you're too lazy to look through the menu or are you trying to get brownie points before bed?"

"A little of both."

Mr. Kurakami looked up and opened his mouth, his puce coloring turning quickly to burgundy. Mrs. Kurakami looked like she might burst out laughing. Their son was biting down on his bottom lip resolutely so as not to smile or laugh.

Before any words could be said on the matter, another waiter approached. "Do we all know what we're having?" His words, in French, were directed at Seto and Mr. Kurakami.

Joey understood what he was saying easily and was immediately offended. He should be addressing the lady first. He was only slightly mollified when Mr. Kurakami ordered for both he and his wife in French. Their son ordered in French as well.

When the waiter turned to Seto, he waved his attention toward Joey, shrugging. "I don't know what I'm having until he tells you."

The waiter smiled a smile that was almost a sneer. Joey smiled icily back at him. "He'd like _steak au poivre._"

"And would he like that medium or well-done?" the waiter asked, smirking.

Joey immediately scowled. "You don't _get steak au poivre_ ordered medium or well-done. That is an insult to the chef. If it is anything but rare, I will have it sent back on your dime." He wanted to add 'asshole,' but the waiter looked as if he wanted to explode already.

"And what will you be having, sir?" the waiter hissed.

Joey glanced at the other waiters and waitresses that were watching nervously. They could tell that the waiter had been rude. One of the waitresses caught his eye, smiled, and pointed to the door. The chef had already gotten word that he was there.

The blond smiled. "The chef knows what I like." He bet the chef was already making his food, but he wouldn't tell the waiter that.

"I… see. Are you sure you don't want to order anything just in case—"

"I'm certain."

"Yes, but it would be quite embarrassing if the entire table got food and you didn't—"

Joey stood, towering over the waiter by several inches, and glared at him. "You clearly haven't worked here very long. If you do not put our orders in right now, I'll make sure you don't work here much longer, either."

The waiter blanched and scampered to the kitchen.

Joey sat down and smiled at the rest of the table's occupants, who were all looking at him in shock. "What a rude waiter. I'd suggest a different restaurant for next time, but the chef shouldn't be penalized for his wait staff's shortcomings."

Seto scowled and reached over to poke his nose. "Accent on."

The blond couldn't help an embarrassed snort of amusement as the other three stared at them. "Um. Sorry. I guess it just turns off whenever I walk in here."

"Quit it." He turned to the Kurakami family, frowning. "He has the cutest accent and he knows I hate it when he forces himself not to speak with it. Sometimes I think he does it just to piss me off."

"Mr. Kaiba, ya wouldn't believe some o' the things we hafta learn t' hide," Mrs. Kurakami told him bluntly, then smiled. "The rich and powerful don't like trashy accents, you see, even from the people that serve them."

Her son looked up at her in surprise. "Mom, what-?!"

"Your mother was not always wealthy," Mr. Kurakami cut in, but seemed to visibly relax when he saw that they had something in common; his wife had been from a lower class, and so was the brunet's lover. He was not comfortable with homosexuality, but he understood less-privileged people trying not to embarrass their more-privileged loved ones. "I'll tell you about it when you're older."

"…I'm twenty-three years old…"

Mrs. Kurakami patted his hand. "When you start dating, we'll tell you."

"I've got a long-term girlfriend!"

Joey and Seto chuckled a little, but only because they'd recently had the same discussion with Mokuba.

The conversation after that was slow, but steady. They were feeling each other out and Mr. Kurakami seemed to be opening up to them despite his reservations about them.

And then their food came out.

Joey raised an eyebrow as he watched everyone receive food except him—and Mrs. Kurakami received hers last. The waiter smirked at him as if he was winning at something. He hummed to himself quietly, tilting his head. He thought about getting up and going to the kitchen, but he was a guest and he knew the chef hated that. He'd have to wait to complain later.

Seto scowled as the waiter walked away without a word and began to stand.

Shirley swept by and placed a dish in front of the blond, chirping a quick, "He must not have noticed it on the counter." Then she was walking swiftly away.

Seto looked down at the blond's plate and raised an eyebrow. "…Steak and fries."

"Protein and carbs. This is a workin' man's meal." When the brunet scowled at him, he quickly amended, "The kinda man that spends his day workin' construction or some other labor-intensive job."

Seto continued to give him a skeptical look but returned to his own pepper-corn crusted steak. "Your way with words leaves something to be desired."

"Your face leaves somethin' t' be desired."

Mr. Kurakami spat out the wine he'd just sipped and coughed. His son couldn't contain himself; he burst out laughing so loudly that a few customers at other tables turned to glare at him. Mrs. Kurakami covered her mouth and cleared her throat, then continued eating her pasta.

Seto rolled his eyes and sighed, but he was still smiling. "Mr. Kurakami, what was the business deal you wanted to propose? I'm afraid to say that after my long day, I just don't want to deal with the paparazzi gathering outside, and I can't imagine you'd enjoy wading through them, either."

Mr. Kurakami blinked at him. "Paparazzi? Outside? How can you tell?"

"I designed an application on my phone so that it vibrates as soon as known paparazzi get within a half-mile radius of me. It recognizes their phone numbers and warns me, so I can always make my way out safely before they swarm."

"Interesting. You should market that."

"I did. To the paparazzi. So they could find other celebrities and leave me alone."

Mrs. Kurakami giggled. "That would explain the shrinking numbers of photos of you and your brother in the tabloids."

Mr. Kurakami blinked, but he'd heard rumors that Seto Kaiba looked after only himself and his family. Somehow, it made sense. "I… see. Well, the reason I wanted to speak with you was to propose a partnership. We've got what seems like an idea for a great game, but we have to admit that our graphics are inferior to Kaiba Corp.'s. If we supplied the storyline and the characters, we'd like you to supply the graphics for it."

"Hmm." Seto tilted his head. "That sounds… doable. We'll have to discuss it in a more formal setting with our lawyers and developers for your proposal, but I don't see a problem with it. …Yet."

"…Somehow, I expected you to be less negotiable."

"If I said 'no' outright, Joey would kick me under the table," the brunet muttered, scowling.

The Kurakamis stared.

Joey smiled. "It's more of a kneejerk reaction now. It's from when I'd ask him things and he'd say no without thinking and then I'd punch him and he'd actually think about what I asked."

"…I see," Mr. Kurakami replied.

"I got used to Mokuba asking stupid questions, so sue me."

Joey opened his mouth to tease him, but all that came out was a pained squeak as something hot was dropped on his head. He knocked the bowl off to shatter on the ground and tugged his jacket off quickly, using it to scrub his scalp so he could try and get some of the scalding soup off of his head before it did too much damage.

He turned, fuming, ready to tear off the waiter's head and shove it up his ass, only to stop as he saw a waitress he'd never seen before. "What the hell!?"

She looked horrified. "I'm sorry sir!" Tears began filling her eyes. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Shirley swept in with a towel. "I'm sorry, sir. She's new and hasn't been fully trained yet; she's filling in for someone who called in sick."

Joey looked down at the floor, where he saw a tray and an overturned plate of some pasta dish. He looked back up at her and took the towel. "No harm done." He spotted the waiter that had given him such trouble earlier snickering on the other side of the dining room.

Striding over to him quickly with a dangerous expression, he asked, "Is something funny?"

The man stiffened, lips firming into a thin line. "No, sir."

"That's what I thought. You are blocking my path to the restroom; step aside _please._"

The waiter scowled but stepped aside. "Excuse me, _sir._"

Seto tapped his chin for a few moments before looking up at the waitress that was trying very hard not to cry. "Remind me to get that soup next time we come here, please."

Despite the tears still in her eyes, she couldn't help but smile. She knelt to pick up the tray and put the pieces of the shattered bowl the plate she'd dropped. She scooped as much pasta as she could onto the tray.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto pulled out his wallet to pay. "I look forward to doing business with you, Mr. Kurakami."

Mr. Kurakami pulled out his own wallet. "I do as well, Mr. Kaiba."

Seeing that they were both planning to pay, they glared at each other.

"…I'll be glad to cover your meal, Mr. Kurakami."

"Nonsense. We invited you at short notice."

Mr. Kurakami's son sighed and stood. "I'm just gonna go wait in the car…"

His mother watched him go, almost wishing she could go with him. Joey shared the sentiment; watching a battle of egos was not high on his to-do list.

"After the service today, I feel I must pay."

"Joey said it was no problem, and when he says that, he means that. Really, it's no problem."

"I insist."

"That's not necessary."

Joey rolled his eyes and sighed, tapping his finger against the table idly. Finally, he turned and stated, "Seto, I want dessert."

"What? Why would you say that after you told me you didn't want any?" Seto exclaimed, turning to glare at him.

Mr. Kurakami slapped his credit card into the waiter's hand before he could even open his mouth to ask how they were paying. "Ha!"

Seto snarled and threw his hands up. "You did that on purpose didn't you?!"

Joey shrugged. "Yeah."

Mrs. Kurakami laughed and patted her husband on the arm. "Dear, you're almost fifty years old. You're acting like a child."

"…But I won."

Joey and Mrs. Kurakami fought valiantly not to laugh out loud and managed it pretty well. Apparently, their significant others also had their competitive streaks in common.

Seto muttered to himself quite violently, crossing his arms angrily. Well, the man _was_ older than him, so technically it was proper for him to pay. It wasn't even much of a competition; they were just trying to pay the bill. He shouldn't be so frustrated by it.

Joey slid his hand over the brunet's thigh soothingly. "You can pay next time. I'll make sure we have a different waiter, too."

"…I'll be having the soup then."

The younger boy looked up at him, brows furrowing together. "The soup that was dumped on my head?"

"…After the initial shock, it looked good."

Mr. and Mrs. Kurakami chuckled quietly as the blond looked at him with obvious disgruntlement. "Well, Mr. Kaiba, I have to admit this dinner was more successful than I expected it to be."

Seto smiled a tight, chilly smile that made the blond flinch. "So you don't have a problem doing business with a fag?"

Mrs. Kurakami froze, eyes widening in horror. She looked up at her husband quickly. "Dear—"

Mr. Kurakami tilted his head a little, then shrugged. "I'm not making excuses. I'm trying to be open-minded, but I've come from a generation where homosexuals were considered wrong. I know times have changed and I haven't, and that makes me a bigot, but I am trying my hardest to understand. It's difficult, but I feel that I am _beginning_ to understand, and I will stop embarrassing myself and my family because of it."

Seto blinked slowly, stunned. After a moment, he nodded slightly. "I wish you luck with that."

He stood to shake his hand and smiled, then shook his wife's hand as well. Joey stood and placed a kiss on the woman's hand again, making her giggle and blush before the older man ushered her away, looking half-annoyed and half-amused.

When they sat again, Seto reached out to grab the blond's hand and stroked his thumb over his knuckles. "…That went better than I had expected."

"They were nice," Joey agreed, smiling. "I like them."

"Are you gentlemen quite finished?"

The blond's smile immediately faded. Turning his head sharply to glare at the waiter, he growled, then looked past him. "SHIRLEY."

She jumped, then bustled over to them quickly, looking a little pale. "Yes, sir?"

"Please tell Mr. Dubois that I would like to speak with him."

She nodded and scurried back to the kitchen. "Yes, sir!"

When the waiter went to walk away, Joey hissed, "You stay right the fuck where you are, asshole."

The waiter turned back to him, scowling. "Just who do you think you—"

"JOSEPH!"

Seto nearly leapt out of his seat; the man's voice was booming and large. Turning, he stared. The chef was almost as tall as he was and much wider; he was a very rotund man with dark skin. He came over and clapped the blond on his shoulder, then pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

He worried Joey might break.

Joey laughed and hugged him back. "Hey, old man. Dinner was excellent. Don't scold that waitress that spilled soup on me. Seto and I are gonna come back and have some," he added, laughing a little.

"Good, good! She's a good girl, just a little clumsy right now. You come back in a few days, she'll be one of the best waitresses you've ever seen!"

Seto glanced between them, frowning. "…Um."

"Ah, old man, about the other one…" Joey narrowed his eyes and jerked his thumb at the waiter that had given him so much trouble all night.

"Ah, yes, my nephew!" the chef boomed, smiling. When he saw the blond's angry expression, he frowned. "…What is wrong, Joseph?"

"He addressed the lady of our party last," the younger man answered promptly. "He was rude to me without knowing who I am, sneered at me like I wasn't good enough to dine here, and he served the lady's food last when he brought it out. He didn't bring out my meal; Shirley had to bring it out to me. He's very rude and I think he needs more training."

The chef's face had darkened with every word. Turning toward the rude waiter—his nephew—he bellowed, "GET OUT OF MY RESTAURANT! WE WILL BE SPEAKING OF THIS WHEN I RETURN HOME!"

"But Oncle—" he began, cheeks red with either fury or embarrassment.

"OUT!" the man roared. As the waiter left, he turned, smiling at the few customers still sitting in his dining room. "I apologize for the disturbance. Allow me to offer you desserts and drinks on the house."

Once the diners had returned to their meals, appeased, he turned to the blond and frowned. "I apologize, Joseph. Allow me to return the money for your dinner—"

"Oh, we didn't pay. Mr. Kurakami did."

"Then I will reverse the charges. I apologize for your dismal experience."

"The experience was _fine,_" the blond sighed, even though he knew the old man would refuse to accept it. He took his business very seriously.

"You can make it up to us next week," Seto stated, standing. "We'll be returning for a proper date."

The chef looked at him, then began to laugh a loud, belly-deep guffaw as he clapped the brunet on his shoulder. "A friend of Joseph's is welcome anytime!"

Joey bit his lip to keep from laughing when the older teen nearly flew forward from the force of his hand. "Well, thanks, old man. We have to get out of here before the paparazzi swarm. See you next week."

"Your next meal will be doubly excellent!" he boomed, clapping them both on the shoulder one last time before saluting them and making his way back toward the kitchen.

Shirley bowed to them. "Allow me to escort you to the door."

"Ah—I wasn't mad at _you,_ Shirley. I was just mad in general and I'm sorry I yelled at you," Joey explained, scratching his cheek as he looked penitently down at his shoes.

She smiled at him. "Oh, I know. It's fine. I'd be mad, too. Well, you two have a wonderful night," she added, bowing again as they left the door.

Seto waited until they were back in the limo before quietly asking, "So…?"

"I used t' work there," Joey explained, smiling, as he leaned back in his seat. "I was his best waiter for three years. See, the thing is, he didn't actually have any formal schoolin'. He started as a dishwasher and worked his way up. He was taught by another chef personally." He looked up at the brunet. "Once a waiter or waitress quits, he welcomes them back as diners, even if they're not well-off. He thinks that since we were so loyal t' him, he should be loyal t' us. It's worked.

"I recommend his place for fancy dinners and dates for all my friends, and so do a lot of the other former employees. That's why I couldn't be embarrassed here, Seto. He taught us that the people we serve aren't better than us; they just happen t' have more money. He was just as willin' t' throw a patron out for bein' rude to the servers as he was t' fire a server rude t' the guests.

"It's why I have trouble not hidin' my accent there, too. He said since he learned to speak Japanese well, we could speak it well, too. He worked so hard t' help those of us with accents that it feels rude t' speak with it in his restaurant." He tilted his head, still smiling. "And he's so understandin'. Some places would have fired that girl on the spot, even though she was still learnin' and hadn't finished her trainin' before she had t' cover for someone else. He's a good man."

Seto reached out to grab the blond's hand again, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Puppy, you are the humblest person I've met. You only mentioned yourself for a few seconds before you went on to tell me how great _he_ was."

"I could brag about myself if ya want," Joey teased, laughing a little.

"That's alright. It's told me a lot about you anyway." The brunet kissed him again, then slid his arm around the younger boy's shoulder and pulled him close. "Despite the business dealings, that was a great dinner."

The blond giggled and agreed, "Yeah. Even when the soup was dropped on my head."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_**Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Kurakami is on the line for you."**_

Seto blinked but picked up the phone. "Kaiba."

"_**HOW DID YOU DO THIS, YOU LITTLE CHEAT?!"**_

"What?!"

"_**DID YOU HAVE THEM REVERSE THE CHARGES SO THAT **__YOU__** COULD PAY?!"**_

Seto frowned. "Mr. Kurakami, the owner reversed the charges and apologized sincerely for our poor dining experience. He wishes for you and your wife to return so that he can try and show you a better service."

"…_**Oh."**_

The brunet smiled. "Yes."

"…_**Well then. You have a good day and I'll see you at that meeting on Thursday."**_

"Yes, Mr. Kurakami. Enjoy the rest of your week." Seto hung up the phone and nibbled on his bottom lip for a moment, then chuckled and pulled out his phone to relate the experience to his lover via text. Joey would probably find it funny as well.


End file.
